Can feeding mechanism



Aug. 8, 1950 G. K. VlALL ETAL CAN FEEDING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2'7, 1949 Q swam tow GEORGE K. VIALL :lLml-.. I I 11mm- L III m 00 mm) -JOSEPH H. BLAIR JR.

ATTORN EY 1950 G. K. VlALL ETAL 2,517,742

CAN FEEDING MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS GEORGE K VIALL JOSEPH H. BLAIR JR.

ATTORN: Y

Aug. 8, 1950 G. K. VlALL ET AL CAN FEEDING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 27, 1949 FIG. 5.

INVENTORS GEORGE K. VIALL BY .JOSEPH H. BLAIR JR.

ATITORNE 1950 G. K. VIALL ET AL, 2,517,742

CAN FEEDING MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.8.

-1 ML. i llllllllllllllli'Kllllllllllllhl 3 W0 mvtou GEORGE K. VIALL JOSEPH H. BLAIR! JR.

ATTOR NEY Patented Aug. 8, 1950 2,517,742 can FEEDING MECHANISM George K. Viall and Jose ph H. Blair, Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to Chain Belt Company,

Milwaukee, Wis.,

a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 27, 1949, Serial No. 95,811

15 Claims.

The invention relates to mechanisms for feeding cans or similar containers to apparatus for processing the containers and/or their contents, and it has for its principal object the provision of an improved feeding mechanism which is adapted to receive the containers from a continuous source of supply, divide them into successive batches each of which comprises a predetermined number of containers, arrange those in each batch in suitably spaced relation and posit on relative to one another, and simultaneously discharge the several containers in each batch to the processing machine.

As a typical example of the apparatus to which the present feeding mechanism is applicable there may be mentioned machines for heating, cooling or otherwise processing food products in sealed cans, and for purposes of disclosure the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, as applied to one form of such food processing apparatus. V

In the said drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of the tank of a typical food processing apparatus, with one form of can feeding mechanism constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away and in section, of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on a somewhat larger scale, taken approximately on the planes indicated by the line 33 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing a batch of cans ready for transfer to the processing machine;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the parts in the positions assumed at the time of discharge of the batch to the processing apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on approximately the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the compartmented shuttles which receive the cans from the feed wheel and transfer them in batches to the processing machine;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the slide element carried by the shuttle and serving to retain the cans in the compartments thereof until the shuttle reaches the discharge position shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a slightly modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but somewhat diagrammatic, showing a still further modification of the mechanism.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1-7, the processing apparatus here shown includes a liquid-containing vat or tank l5 within which a series of parallel spaced rolls I 6 are rotatably mounted on su ports IT. The cans are deposited in the valleys between adjacent rolls in end-toend relat on and the rolls are rotated by power mechanism, not shown, whereby to rotate the lines of cans about their respective axes.

The can feeding mechanism is disposed in the upper portion of the tank, in position to supply the cans to the rolls l6 by gravity action, and may comprise one or more units, two such units A and B being here shown. For the most part the fol lowing description will .be confined to but one of these units, as they are substantially identical except that one is right hand and the other left hand.

Each unit comprises a chute or trough I 9 leading from a source of supply and down which a continuous series of cans 20 may move in sideby-side relation. The lower end of the chute is disposed adjacent the periphery of a can feeding wheel 2|, the peripheral portion of which is provided with a plurality of circumferentially equidistantly spaced semi-cylindrical recesses or pockets 22 adapted to successively receive the cans from the chute as the wheel is turned, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The feeding wheels 2i are keyed upon a shaft 23 which is journaled in bearings 24 mounted upon supporting members 25, here shown as extending across the top of the tank l5 and supported by the side walls thereof. A gear 26 is loosely mounted on said shaft adjacent the feed wheel, and the hubs 21 of said gears are provided with one-way clutche 28 (see Figs. 4 and 5) whereby motion in one direction only may be transmitted from the gears to the shaft, as will appear more fully below. A curved guide plate 29, having one end secured to the chute H! as at 30, extends partly around the circumference of wheel 2! in properly spaced relation thereto to retain the cans 20 in the wheel pockets 22, as will be clear from Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

A reciprocating shuttle 35 is disposed below the feed wheel 2| in co-operative relation thereto. As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, these shuttles comprise a pair of parallel spaced angle irons 36 and 37 which are cross-connectedby a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse partitions 38 providing a series of rectangular compartments 39 open at top and bottom. Preferably there are as many of these compartments as there are valleys between the rolls 16 of the processing apparatus, and their longitudinal spacing is equal to the arcuate spacing of the pockets 22 of the feed wheel 2 I. The side member 36 of the shuttle has rigidly secured to it one or more bearing sleeves til, slidably mounted on a rod 4i extending across the tank i5 and supported by brackets 42 secured to the opposite walls thereof. The other side member 31 of the shuttle has rigidly secured to it the cylinder 43 of a hydraulic ram or similar motor, which cylinder surrounds and is sildably mounted on a rod 44 likewise extending across the tank and supported by brackets 45. The medial portion of the rod 44 carries a fixed piston or abutment 46 (see Fig. 2), and fluid is supplied to and exhausted from the end portions of the cylinder 43 through flexible conduits or hoses 4i and 48 leading to an appropriate control valve and source of supply, not shown. A rack 49 is rigidly secured to the upper portionof the side member 31 and meshes with the gear 26 carried by the wheel shaft 23.

The vertical legs of the angle members 36 and 31 of the shuttle are provided with longitudinal flanges 50 constituting slideways for a ladderlike slide member 5|. As best shown in Fig. 7, this slide comprises a pair of transversely spaced side members 52 which are cross-connected by a plurality of longitudinally spaced rods or bars 53, the spacing of which is the same as that of the shuttle partitions 38. At one end the slide 5| is also provided with a transverse bar 54, the medial portion of which carries a longitudinal stud 55 which is slidably received in an opening in a transverse member 55 rigidly carried by the shuttle. A compression spring Bl is interposed between the members 54 and 56, surrounding the stud 55, and urges the slide toward the right, as viewed in Figs. 14, which motion is adjustably limited by lock nuts 58 threaded on the stud 55 outside the shuttle member 56. In this position of the slide, which is its normal position, the rods 53 thereof are located substantially midway between the partitions 38 of the shuttle, so that when cans are deposited in the shuttle compartments 39 by the feed wheel 2|, they will engage and be supported by the said rods, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

At the other end of the slide one of its side members 52 is provided with an ear 59, positioned for engagement with a stop 60 carried by the bracket member 45. Thus, as the shuttle and slide are moved toward the right by the hydraulic ram and approach the wall of the tank I5, the ear 59 of the slide will contact the stop 60 and prevent further motion of the slide while that of the shuttle continues for a distance equal to one half the width of the compartments 39, thereby removing the slide rods 53 from beneath the cans and alining such rods with the shuttle partitions 38. It results that as the shuttle reaches the end of its rightward travel the several cans in the batch it is carrying will be simultaneously released from the shuttle compartments and will drop into the valleys between the rolls N5 of the processing machine, as shown in Fig. 4.

During the rightward travel of the shuttle its rack 49 imparts counterclockwise rotation to the gear 26 but the one-way clutch 28 is so arranged that under these conditions it is released and imparts no rotation to the shaft 23 and feed wheel 2 I. However, when the ram 38 is reversed and traverses the shuttle toward the left thereby rotating the gear 26 in a clockwise direction, the clutch 28 engages and picks up the shaft 23, thus imparting clockwise rotation to the feed wheel 2|. At the beginning of this leftward travel of the shuttle the lowermost pocket 22 of the feed wheel is empty, having transferred its can to the shuttle during the previous cycle, and the parts are so constructed and arranged that at the start of its leftward travel the shuttle must move a distance equal to the arcuate spacing of the pockets 22 of the feed wheel before the first shuttle compartment 39 is directly below the feed wheel so that such compartment may properly register with the first full pocket for the transfer of its can to said compartment. In this form of the invention the number of pockets in the feed wheel need bear no particular relation to the number of compartments in the shuttle, for so long as the spacings of the two are the same the mechanism will function regardless of whether it requires one complete revolution of the wheel, or more or less than one such revolution, to fill all of the shuttle compartments.

During the initial leftward travel of the shuttle the spring 51 prevents like movement of the slide 5|, maintaining the ear 59 thereof in engagement with the stop 60 until the rods 53 are again positioned medially of the compartments 39. At this point the lock nuts 58 engage the cross member 53 of the shuttle, after which the shuttle and slide move as a unit.

Where a plurality of feeding units such as A and B are employed, the shuttles may be connected together for unitary movements as by a bridge plate 6| welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the top faces of the angle members 36, see Fi s. 2, 3 and 5.

In some instances it may be necessary or desirable that the shuttle travel farther toward the right than is shown in Fig. 4 before releasing the batch of cans to the rolls [6, in which case the mechanism above described may be modified as shown in Fig. 8.

In this form the shuttle 35 is provided at its left hand end with a portion 65 having no compartments and of a length equal to the overtravel desired beyond the position shown in Fig.

\ 4. The feed wheel 2| makes exactly one revolution during each leftward traverse of the shuttle and therefore its circumference should be equal to the length of the shuttle travel. The wheel is provided with pockets 22 equal in number to the compartments in shuttle 35 and arcuately spaced to register with said compartments as well as to leave a blank space 66 on the wheel for registration with the uncompartmented portion 65 of the shuttle. Thus, during the first portion of the leftward travel of the shuttle from the position shown in Fig. 8, its blank portion 65 will mate with the blank space 66 on the wheel and when the left-most compartment 39 reaches a position directly beneath the wheel the latter will have turned sufficiently to bring the first pocket of the series into register with such compartment for transfer of its can thereinto.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated, somewhat diagrammatically, a further modification of the invention wherein the shuttle, instead of transmitting motion to the feed wheel, is reciprocated by means of the shaft 23 which mounts said wheel, said shaft being continuously or intermittently rotated by any suitable source of power. As will be readily understood from the said figure,

' the shaft 23 carries a crank 10 which is connected approximately one half of its periphery; and due to the varying angular travel of the crank necessary to produce rectilinear shuttle movement equal to the width of one compartment 39, the can pockets are unevenly spaced, as shown in the drawing, so as to come into proper register with the equally spaced compartments.

While several forms of the mechanism have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that without departing from the spirit of the invention, further modification of the structural details and arrangement of parts may be readily made by those skilled in the art to provide equivalent constructions, and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure excent as may be required by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; 2. compartmented shuttle reciprocatably mounted adjacent the wheel for traverse in co-operative relation thereto; means for moving'the shuttle and wheel to serially register the wheel pockets and shuttle compartments, whereby the containers may be transferred from the pockets to the compartments; shiftable means engageable by the containers in the shuttle compartments to retain them therein; and means for shifting said retaining means to release the containers from the compartments.

2. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination .of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a compartmented shuttle reciprocatably mounted for traverse adjacent said wheel; means for moving the shuttle and wheel to serially register the wheel pockets and shuttle compartments, whereby the containers may be transferred from the pockets to the compartments; members movably carried by the shuttle and normally engageable by the containers in the several compartments to retain them therein; and means for simultaneously moving all of said retaining members relative to the shuttle to release the containers from the compartments.

3. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of circumferentially spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a plural-compartment shuttle reciprocatably mounted for traverse below said wheel; means for moving the shuttle and wheel to serially register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments, whereby the containers may be transferred from the pockets to the compartments; a slide carried by the shuttle and having containerengaging portions extending beneath the compartments for normally engaging the containers to support them therein; and means for effecting relative movement between the shuttle and slide to disengage the supporting portions of the slide from the containers to release the latter from the compartments.

4. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of circumferentially spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle having a plurality of spaced partitions providing adjacent compartments, said shuttle being horizontally reciprocatably mounted for traverse below the feed wheel; means for moving the shuttle and wheel to serially register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments, whereby the containers may be transferred from the pockets to the compartments; a slide reciprocatably mounted on the shuttle and having elements normally disposed below the compartments in position to support the containers therein; means normally holding said elements in container-supporting position; and means engageableby the slide during shuttle traverse to shift said elements from said supporting position, whereby to release the'containers from the compartments.

5. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of circumferentially spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle having a plurality of spaced transverse partitions providing adjacent compartments, said shuttle being horizontally reciprocatably mounted for traverse below the feed wheel; means for moving the shuttle and wheel to serially register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments, whereby the containers may be transferred from the pockets to the compartments; a slide reciprocatably mounted on the shuttle and having spaced transverse elements normally disposed below the compartments intermediate the shuttle partitions for engagement by the containers to support them in the com- IZZLI'CITIGIltS; resilientmeans normally holding said elements in said container-supporting position; and means engageable by the slide during a portion of the shuttle traverse for shifting said supporting elements into alinement with the shuttle partitions, whereby to release the conainers from the compartments.

6. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of circumferentially spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle having a plurality of spaced transverse partitions providing adjacent compartments; means slidably mounting said shuttle for reciprocation below the feed wheel; means for moving the shuttle and wheel to serially register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments, whereby the containers may be transferred from the pockets to the compartments; a ladder-like slide longitudinally reciprocatably mounted on the shuttle, having transverse elements extending across and below the compartments medially between the partitions for engagement by the containers to support them in the compartments; spring means engaging said slide and normally holding said elements thereof in container-supporting position; and stop means engageable by the slide during a portion of the shuttle traverse to arrest movement of the slide While that of the shuttle continues, whereby to move the transverse slide elements into alinement with the shuttle partitions and release the containers from the compartments.

'7. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a compartmented shuttle reciprocatably mounted adjacent said wheel; means for reciprocating said shuttle; means for turning said wheel in one direction only and only during traverse oi the shuttle in one direction, whereby to register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartment for transfer of the containers from the one to the other; means engageable by the containers in the compartments to retain them therein; and means for actuating said retaining means to release the containers from the compartments.

8. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a compartmented shuttle reciprocatably mounted below said wheel; means for reciprocating said shuttle; one-way driving connections between the shuttle and wheel for turning the wheel during traverse of the shuttle in one direction, whereby to register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments for transfer of the containers from the one to the other; shiftable container-engaging elements carried by the shuttle for releasably supporting the containers in the compartments; and means fOr shifting said supporting elements to release the containers from the compartments.

9. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately. spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a plural-compartment shuttle reciprocatably mounted below said wheel; motive means carried by the shuttle for reciprocating it; driving connections between the shuttle and wheel, including a one-way clutch, for turning the wheel in one direction only during traverse of the shuttle, whereby to register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments for transfer of the containers from the one to the other; container-engaging elements carried by the shuttle releasably holding the containers in the compartments; and means actuating said holding elements during a portion of the shuttle traverse to release the containers from the compartments.

10. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a supporting shaft and a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a plural-compartment shuttle reciprocatably mounted below said wheel; means for reciprocating said shuttle; a. gear journaled on said wheel shaft; a rack carried by the shuttle and engaging said gear to drive the same; a oneway clutch mechanism connecting said gear with the wheel shaft, whereby traverse of the shuttle in one direction only will turn the feed wheel to register its pockets with the shuttle compartments for transfer of the containers from the one to the other; container-engaging elements carried by the shuttle for releasably holding the containers in the compartments; and means actuating said holding elements during a portion of the shuttle traverse to release the containers from the compartments.

11. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets, the series extending entirely around the wheel; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle reciprocatably mounted adjacent the wheel for traverse in co-operative relation thereto, said shuttle being provided with a plurality of adjacent compartments, the number of which bears noparticular relation to the number of wheel pockets; means for reciprocating the shuttle; means for intermittently rotating the wheel in timed relation to the shuttle movements, with wheel movement occurring only during traverse of the shuttle in one direction, whereby to serial- 1y register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments during such concurrent motions for transfer of containers from one to the other; means for releasably holding the containers in th compartments; and means for actuating said holding means at a determined point in the shuttle traverse to release the containers.

12. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets, the series extending only partiallyaround the wheel and leaving a blank space between the end pockets of the series; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle .reciprocata-bly mounted adjacent the wheel for traverse in co-operati-ve relation thereto, said shuttle being provided with a plurality of adjacent compartments equal in number to the wheel pockets; means for reciprocating the shuttle and unidirectionally rotating the wheel in timed relation thereto through one complete revolution for each complete cycle of'the shuttle, to register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments for transfer of containers from one to the other; means for releasably holding the containers in the 'shuttlecompartments; and means operable at a determined point in the shuttle travel to actuate said holding means for release of the containers.

13. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced containing-receiving pockets, the series extending only partially around the wheel and leaving a blank space between the end pockets; mean for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle reciprocatably mounted adjacent the wheel for traverse in co-operative relation thereto, said shuttle being provided with a. plurality of adjacent compartments equal in number to the wheel pockets, and also having an uncompartmerited portion; means for reciprocating said shuttle; means for rotating the feed wheel through one complete revolution during traverse of the shuttle in one direction, whereby to register the blank space on the wheel with the uncompartmented portion of the shuttle and to register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments for transfer of containers from the one to the other; means for releasably holding the containers in the shuttle compartments; and means operable at a determined point in said shuttle traverse to actuate said holding means for release of the containers.

- 14. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets, the series extending only partially around the wheel and leaving a black space between the end pockets; means for supplying containers serially tosaid pockets; a shuttle reciprocatably mounted adjacent the wheel for traverse in co-operative relation thereto, said shuttle being provided with a plurality of adjacent compartments equal in number to the wheel pockets, and having an uncompartmented portion at one end; means for reciprocating the shuttle; one-way driving connections between the shuttle and wheel for rotating the latter through one complete revolution during traverse of the shuttle in one direction, whereby to register the blank space on the wheel with the uncompartmented portion of the shuttle and to register the wheel pockets with the shuttle compartments for transfer of containers from the one to the other; means for retaining the containers in said compartments during shuttle traverse; and means for discharging the containers from the compartments at a determined point in said traverse.

15. In mechanism for feeding containers to a processing machine, the combination of a rotatable feed wheel having a series of arcuately spaced container-receiving pockets, the series extending only partially around the wheel; means for supplying containers serially to said pockets; a shuttle reciprocatably mounted adjacent the wheel for traverse in co-operative relation thereto, said shuttle being provided with a plurality of adjacent compartments equal in number to the wheel pockets; means for rotating said wheel; means operable by said rotating means for reciprocating the shuttle through a complete cycle concurrently with each rotation of the wheel, whereby during one stroke of the shuttle to register its compartments with the wheel pockets for transfer of containers from the latter to the former; means for releasably holding the containers in said compartments; and means operable at a determined point in the shuttle movement to actuate said holding means for release of the containers.

GEORGE K. VIALL.

JOSEPH H. BLAIR, JR.

No references cited. 

